Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata unboxes a Wii U

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The Wii U launches in just over a week on November 18, so Nintendo is beginning to run adverts and show off the console in a bid to get us to buy one. Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata has proved a number of times before he isn’t camera shy, and today he took part in the first Wii U unboxing.

As well as showing off the machine, it also allowed us to learn a bit more about the hardware and what’s actually included in the box. More specifically, what’s included with the Wii U Premium Pack.

The Wii U actually weighs more than the Wii, which is understandable considering the size and configuration of the GamePad controller. It’s a substantial difference: 4.25kg compared to the 3.67kg of the Wii. That’s not something for consumers to worry about, but it must add to Nintendo’s transportation costs.

The extra weights isn’t just down to the bigger GamePad though, as Iwata’s unboxing reveals. The Wii U has quite a large power brick, but so does the GamePad’s charger, which I didn’t expect. Nintendo has also included a stand for the GamePad for charging, another GamePad stand when you want to put it down and just watch the screen, and a third stand for allowing the console to sit upright. Then finally we have the HDMI cable and instructions.

The Premium Pack/Deluxe Set is $50 more than the Basic console, but it definitely seems worth it for the extras. As well as the console and GamePad charging stand you also get 32GB instead of 8GB of storage. However, one thing Iwata didn’t unbox, which we thought was included in the pack, was the Sensor Bar. It looks like that isn’t a standard inclusion after all.

Nintendo also released two further videos that I’ve included below. They cover the Wii U User Account system and Wii U Chat System: